Status of Women Committee on Feb. 14th, 2008

[Michèle Bougie]

Finance can explain in more detail.

On MOUs for training, no, we don't have them.

I'm not sure if you were asking for the number of departments with GBA capacity, because that's the number we said earlier. It was 17 departments. And yes, we'll be providing the list.

On the disaggregated data and how we make it more available, Statistics Canada has a lot of data banks, and they do tend to collect things and disaggregate subpopulation groups and various cohorts. The trick is that departments have to ask for it and departments have to pay for it. When the departments have asked for it, are they asking for questions and things like census runs, or are they asking for the data broken down to meet their needs? So you have different approaches. But the departments have to ask for it in order to get it. And once they have it, they have to use it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you.

Madame Deschamps, vous avez deux minutes.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

I have a brief question to ask you in closing, Mesdames. I refer to page 5 of the presentation you made and I'd like to know whether Status of Women Canada has reporting and accountability mechanisms that take GBA into account.

[Hélène Dwyer-Renaud]

Not yet, but that's what we're aiming for.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

As we say back home, no one is a prophet in her own land.

[Hélène Dwyer-Renaud]

Exactly. As I explained, we've focused on developing tools over the past five years. We're now putting that into practice. What we're trying to determine is precisely whether practice makes a difference. We also want to know whether the departments are putting this into practice or whether it's simply infrastructures and nothing else. That's how far we've gotten; that's our juncture, but you'll have two results, because we'll be able to study practices, and the Treasury Board results. There has been perhaps one year of shortage in five years, but now we have a lot more information than we've ever had in the past.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Are you practising at Status of Women Canada now?

[Hélène Dwyer-Renaud]

We're going to act as the central agency on practices, and we'll know whether people are using the training they've received. For example, when the training is given in a group, we not only conduct an evaluation at the start, but we do one six and 12 months afterward to observe the continuity and durability of that training in the departments. This is a new practice. That's what we're going to start doing, and we'll be able to report on that in our departmental report. We're not there yet.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Merci.

I thank you very much for being here.

I think the outstanding question was on the European system. If you could wrap up, I'll give you a minute each, because we have committee business to continue.

Madame Dwyer-Renaud.

[Hélène Dwyer-Renaud]

On the European system, we can certainly give you an overview of what's going on from a gender mainstreaming perspective across Europe.

But what I was referring to is that right now we are doing an analysis comparing the Canadian system and the European system, and that will not come out until August.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Fair enough.

Madame Bougie, would you like to make some closing remarks?

[Michèle Bougie]

Thank you for inviting us to appear.

Short and sweet: Happy Valentine's Day.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Happy Valentine's Day.

Now, I'm not going to let you off the hook very quickly. I can hear a lot of anxiety and questions, and everybody has a thousand more questions from the answers you've given.

February 26 is budget day, but we can squeeze ourselves into a small room and still have, if we have to, a huddle, our own meeting. We could let you know that on February 26 you might be back, if you don't mind. I am just letting you know, in case the committee decides to do so.

I thank you very much, and I'll suspend the meeting for one minute.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have to start with the motions.

Ms. Demers, are you introducing a motion? Yes?

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, following the minister's testimony last week on the under-funding of shelters, I received a note from Ms. Arnaud from Quebec Native Women requesting more substance, because she isn't satisfied with the minister's response. She says that something absolutely has to be done now to ensure that Aboriginal women have resources.

That's why I prepared this motion, Madam Chair. Do you want me to read it to you?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Yes.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

It reads as follows:

That the Standing Committee on the Status of Women call upon the Minister for the Status of Women to:

Increase recurrent core funding for Aboriginal women's shelters, as is already the case for shelters in Quebec;

put a stop to the delays in the evaluation of Aboriginal women's shelters, scheduled for March;

reinstate the former criteria for the Women's Program, because many advocacy groups, including Femmes Autochtones du Québec, are penalized under the new criteria; and

have the criteria clarified and the government's approach modified so that Aboriginal women's organizations can benefit from Status of Women Canada funding.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Any questions for Madame Demers?

Yes, Ms. Neville. Let's keep it brief so that we can then do the second motion, and I'd like to go through the work plan quickly.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Madam Chair, I have no problem with the motion. My only concern is that some of the funding comes through INAC, and I think it's important that INAC be part of this motion.

If we're just calling upon the minister, I guess that's fine, but my concern is that there be appropriate consultation with aboriginal women's groups. Perhaps Madame Demers has done it, but we need to know what their needs are from them as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Are you suggesting an amendment to the motion, by any chance?

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I'm not sure.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Okay, fine.

Mr. Stanton, did you have your hand up? Then Ms. Davidson.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.

I have just a couple of things. In the French version, we use the word demande, which is “to ask”, as I understand, and that's translated into “call upon”. I wonder if Madame might consider whether in the English version that is really “to recommend”. On the English side there's a difference.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

“Request”?

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

“Request” is okay, or “recommend”. That would be one question.

The next question I have is that in the first bullet point we talk about the recurrent core funding for aboriginal women's shelters. Is this in reference to shelters on reserve, or is it to do with, presumably, shelters that are outside of a first nations reserve?